AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

The 'American Ballet Theatre', based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century, and a leading dance company in the world today.
There are four levels within the company (in rising order): A Studio Company, a Corps de Ballet, the Soloists, and the Principals.

Contents

History

ABT Currently

Special repertoire

Ballets performed

External links

History

The company was originally founded in 1937 as the 'Mordkin Ballet', and then reorganized in 1940 with a new name as the 'Ballet Theatre', with direction from Lucia Chase and Rich Pleasant. In 1956 it became the 'American Ballet Theatre', and has kept that name ever since. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York is now home to the American Ballet Theatre.
ABT has had several artistic directors:

★ 1940–1980: Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith

★ 1980–1990: Mikhail Baryshnikov

★ 1990–1992: Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith

★ 1992–       : Kevin McKenzie
In 1960, the company became the first American company to dance in the Soviet Union.
Principal dancers have included Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland, Alicia Alonso, Erik Bruhn, Anton Dolin, Leslie Browne and Natalia Makarova.[1]

ABT Currently

Principal dancers today are Maxim Beloserkovsky, Angel Corella, Jose Manuel Carreno, Irina Dvorovenko, Nina Ananiashvili, Diana Vishneva, Alessandra Ferri, David Hallberg, Michelle Wiles, Julie Kent, Marcelo Gomes, Herman Cornejo, Vladimir Malakhov, Gillian Murphy, Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel, and Paloma Herrera.

Special repertoire

Many choreographers have staged works especially for ABT, including George Balanchine, Adolph Bolm, Michel Fokine, Léonide Massine, and Bronislava Nijinska. The great British choreographer Antony Tudor, made his American debut with ABT, and the legendary Agnes de Mille staged the majority of her ballet works with them. Other past choreographers include Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Alvin Ailey.
ABT's 1976 production of ''The Nutcracker'' starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland was televised the following year and has become a broadcast classic.
Their main season is held during eights weeks in the spring at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. The current (2007) Spring Season includes ''Manon'', ''The Dream'', ''The Sleeping Beauty'', ''Swan Lake'', ''Cinderella'', ''Othello'', and ''Romeo and Juliet''. Their 2006 fall season at New Yorks's City Center Theatre included ''Fancy Free, Clear, Meadow, Rodeo, Afternoon of a Faun, In the Upper Room, The Green Table, Sinatra Suite, Symphonie Concertante, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Dark Elegies, Glow-Stop'', and various ''pas de deux'' from the classical ballet repertoire.
Today, ABT encourages the growth of dance and choreography by holding a summer intensive care session every summer for young people across the country. Its Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School teaches the style and techniques specifically used by ABT.

Ballets performed

Below is a list of works which have been performed by American Ballet Theatre. Not all of the works are currently in the company's repertory.
:''Listed alphabetically''
''Adagio for Strings'', ''Afternoon of a Faun'' (Robbins), ''Afternoon of a Faun'' (Nijinsky), ''Airs'', ''Aleko'', ''Amazed in Burning Dreams'', ''Americans We'', ''Amnon V'Tamar'', ''L'Amour et son Amour'', ''Anastasia'', ''Angrismene'', ''Annabel Lee'', ''Apollo'', ''Appalachian Spring'', ''Artemis'', ''At Midnight''
''Awakening''
''Bach Partita'', ''Le Baiser de la Fee'', ''Le Bal'', ''Balladen der Liebe'', ''Ballet Imperial'',
''Barn Dance'', ''Baroque Game'', ''La Bayadère'', ''Beatrice'', ''The Beloved'', ''Billy the Kid'', ''Birthday Offering'', ''Bitter Rainbow'', ''Black Ritual'' (Obeah), ''Black Tuesday'', ''Blood Wedding'', ''Bluebeard'',
''Bolero'' (solo), ''Bolero'', ''Bourree Fantasque'', ''Brahms Quintet'', ''A Brahms Symphony'', ''The Brahms-Haydn Variations'', ''Brief Fling'', ''Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1'', ''The Bull Dancers'', ''Bum's Rush''
''The Capital of the World'', ''Capriccio Espagnol'', ''Capriccioso'', ''Caprichos'', ''The Careless Burghers'', ''Carmen'' (A. Alonso), Carmen (Roland Petit), ''Carnaval'', ''The Catherine Wheel'', ''Cinderella'', ''Cinderella'' (Kudelka), ''Circo de Espana'', ''Clair de Lune'', ''Clear'', ''The Combat''
''Concerto'' (Dollar/Chopin), ''Concerto'' (Dollar/Mendelssohn), ''Concerto'' (MacMillan), ''Concerto'' (Ross), ''Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Orchestra'', ''Concerto Six Twenty-Two'' (Duet), ''Concert Waltzes'', ''Configurations'', ''Conflict'', ''Continuum'', ''Conterdances'', ''Coppelia'', ''Corbaille de Fleurs'', ''Le Corsaire'' (full length), ''Le Corsaire Pas de Deux'', ''Cruel World''
''Dancing with Monet'', ''Danses Concertante'', ''Catie Stillwell'', ''Danza del Molinero'', ''Dark Elegies'', ''Death and the Maiden, Les Demoiselles de la Nuit, Designs with Strings, Desir'' (pas de deux), ''Dialogues''
''Diana and Acteon, Dim Lustre, Disposition, Diversion of Angels, Divertimento-Rossini''
''Divertissement D'Auber'', ''Don Domingo de Don Blas'', ''Donizetti Variations'', ''Don Quixote (ballet)'', ''Don Quixote'' (Grand pas de deux), ''Don't Panic!'' , ''Dorian'', ''The Dream'', ''Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes'', ''Duets''
''Eccentrique, Echoing of Trumpets, Eden'' (pas de deux), ''Electra, Elegy, The Elements, The Enchanted, The Encounter, Enough Said, Ensayo Sinfonica, Epilogue'', ''Esmeralda'' (pas de deux - after Perrot), ''Esmeralda'' (pas de deux - Stevenson), ''